It was perplexing enough when the world decided to give one biopic to software engineer/documented oddball John McAfee. But perplexing enough just isn't perplexing enough: The Hollywood Reporter has linked Warner Bros. to a second developing film about the antivirus mogul and his various legal troubles throughout South America. News broke on Monday that the studio could be funding a cinematic project based on a Wired article ("John McAfee's Last Stand") about McAfee's alleged criminal activity. All this on top of December's announcement that McAfee would play the focal character in Running in the Background: The True Story of John McAfee, a film by Impact Future Media, to whom McAfee himself sold his life rights.
That's right, two John McAfee movies. The major studio exploit and the independent project with questionable objectivity, as it always goes. See, the dueling biopics phenomenon is not one unique to the case of McAfee. Recent years have seen competing forces vie for the presentation of a shared subject's life story — a couple of instances are even in the works presently. Is there always a clear winner to the showdown, or are we left torn between contrasting portraits of great figures? Take a gander at what we think:
John McAfee
The Studio Movie: John McAfee's Last Stand adaptation (no official title)
Source Material: Wired article "John McAfee's Last Stand"
Creative Forces: Unknown
The Independent Film: Running in the Background: The True Story of John McAfee
Source Material: McAfee's life rights
Creative Forces: Unknown
The Champion: Yet to be determined, although we can bet that the latter, which McAfee himself is at least marginally involved on a production level, might be a little skewed away from objectivity... which could, actually, be quite interesting.
Alfred Hitchcock
The Studio Movie: Hitchcock
Source Material: Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello
Creative Forces: Director Sacha Gervasi; stars Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson
The HBO Film: The Girl
Source Material: Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies by Donald Spoto
Creative Forces: Director Julian Jarrold; stars Toby Jones and Sienna Miller
The Champion: The Girl is a far superior, more intricate and compelling film to the bland Hollywood output
Steve Jobs
The Studio Movie: Steve Jobs
Source Material: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (authorized biography)
Creative Forces: Writer Aaron Sorkin
The Independent Film: jOBS
Source Material: Unknown
Creative Forces: Director Joshua Michael Stern; stars Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad
The Champion: As much as we like Gad in costume as the Woz, we have to bet on the Sorkin power for this one.
Linda Lovelace
The Sundance Premiere: Lovelace
Source Material: Unknown
Creative Forces: Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; stars Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sharon Stone
The Muddling-in-Oblivion Machination: Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story
Source Material: Unknown
Creative Forces: Director/writer Matthew Wilder; stars Malin Akerman, Matt Dillon, and Harold Perrineau
The Champion: Another TBD, but Sundance provides us with some very favorable thoughts about the former.
And one from the archives...
Truman Capote
The Studio Movie: Capote
Source Material: Capote by Gerald Clarke
Creative Forces: Director Bennett Miller; stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Clifton Collins, Jr.
The Independent(ish) Film: Infamous
Source Material: Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Careerby George Plimpton
Creative Forces: Director/writer Douglas McGrath; Toby Jones (again!), Sandra Bullock, and Daniel Craig
The Champion: The Oscars were right on this one: Miller and Hoffman's rendition of the story was a dazzling feat — while Infamous, too, is a film worth your while, it doesn't quite live up to the spectacle that a character like Truman Capote deserves

In a scene from the new HBO movie The Girl, which premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival, Alfred Hitchcock's assistant Peggy attempts to explain why, of all the leading ladies he worked with in his lengthy career, the legendary director's relationship with model-turned-actress Tippi Hedren evolved into obsession. Whatever Hitchcock threw at his star actress, she delivered back to him. "She makes him feel like he can't hurt her."
The beloved director of some of the best horror and thriller films of all time is transformed into one of his own off-balanced creations in The Girl, which follows Hitch (Toby Jones) and Hedren (Sienna Miller) as they collaborate together on The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964). Plucked from the commercial world and groomed by Hitchcock to become a movie star, Hedren gave herself over completely to Hollywood's top director. She had little choice — with so much power in the industry, the only way Hedren would have a fruitful career as an actress would be to follow Hitch's every word. But the film suggests Hitchcock's direction wasn't limited to Hedren's on-screen work — demands of intimacy and a sadistic sense of entitlement entangled Hedren in a web of harassment. Her inability to serve the director would shatter both of their lives.
Film buffs hold Hitchcock on a high pedestal, but The Girl has no qualms exploring the dark side of his personality and that's where the film shines brightest. Like other behind-the-scenes dramas, The Girl spends introductory time indulging on the glamor of watching Hitchcock work from behind the camera. Old school Hollywood glistens with period production design, from the expansive backlot to recreations of scenes from The Birds. But director Julian Jarrold (Brideshead Revisited, Red Riding: 1974) and writer Gwyneth Hughes (BBC's outstanding mini-series Five Days) wisely drop the nostalgia in favor of the complex and terrifying relationship between Hitch and Hedren. When Hitchcock shoots 45 takes of The Birds' famous attic sequence, he's not doing it to perfect the shot — he's torturing Hedren. Only before she enters the set for the first time is Hedren alerted that Hitchcock has planned to shoot the scene with real birds. Hedren complies, knowing she can't bail from the picture and wanting to stand up against her off-screen ruffian. With each take, the birds talons slice her face and break her will. Hitchcock watches with an unflinching gaze.
Toby Jones is astounding as Hitchcock, conjuring up the charm on the surface and unearthing Hitchcock's twisted center that would occasionally bubble to the top. Jones' Hitch is plagued by his physical insecurities and, in turn, capitalizes on his clout to muscle others. The actor disappears into Hitchcock's voice and mannerisms, but they're never prohibitive of Jones layered performance. Miller, who has been out of the spotlight for a few years, plays Hedren like one of the blonde bombshells that would turn up in the Hitchcock's own films. Hedren's not fleshed out like Hitchcock, but Miller bounces back and forth gracefully from the smiley persona of a professional actress to the emotionally distraught women that emerged whenever Hedren made it home. Like the victims in Compliance, another 2012 film about the frightening power of persuasion, the words of Hitchcock boil in Hedren's mind, making Miller's role mostly silent but always engrossing. Adding to the complexity is Imelda Staunton as Hitchcock's wife Alma. She's commanding as Hitch's persuasive partner and involving her more in the film would have helped make the central duo's battle become even deadlier.
One might expect The Girl, with its horror film undertones, to play out in the style of a Hitchcock classic. Thankfully, Jarrold strays away from mimicking the great director's tropes, sparsely alluding to famous iconography (it's hard not to when Hitchclock climbs a set of winding stairs or Hedren washes herself in the shower). References don't clog up the picture, only send chills down the spine. For the most part, Jarrold keeps the flashy camerawork to a minimum, allowing his two leads to play. Occassionaly The Girl meanders away from the central duo does it slow down — as anyone who works on movies will tell you, watching them be made isn't all that interesting — but the core relationship is effectively presented (if not as dark and twisted as it could be). Hedren wasn't just the victim of Hitchcock's on-screen orchestrations — she was the victim of the director himself.
The Girl airs on HBO on Oct. 20.
[Photo Credit: HBO]
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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Today in Oscar bait: Jeremy Irvine and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks to join Mike Newell's adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations as Pip and Miss Havisham, respectively. Rowan Joffe (The American) is adapting the screenplay, a story of an orphan who becomes a young gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.
Many consider Great Expectations to be one of Dickens' best works, so unsurprisingly, this won't be its first adaptation. Back in 1948, David Lean directed an Oscar-winning black and white version. Followed by that was a contemporary remake, set in NYC and pretty poorly done (IMO) by Alfonso Cuaron. Then in 1999, Julian Jarrold made a Masterpiece Theatre version.
If you've made it this far without googling Jeremy Irvine's name, here's the scoop: he's a fresh face who makes his big screen debut later this year with Steven Spielberg's War Horse, which releases December 28. Apparently, Spielberg picked the young actor out of obscurity for that role, so he must be a pretty talented kid. That or his uncle is Harrison Ford or something.
Source: Variety

It's Official: Andrew Garfield Is the Next Spider-Man
Sony has finally put to rest the rampant rumors about who'll be headlining their much-anticipated Spider-Man reboot, announcing via a company press release today that Andrew Garfield will star as Peter Parker in the Marc Webb-directed and James Vanderbilt-penned film, which is set to open in 2012.
Below is the text from Sony's press release. Somebody should probably break the news to Jamie Bell. In the meantime, who's up for a road trip to Cancun?
CULVER CITY, Calif., July 1, 2010 – After a comprehensive worldwide casting search, Andrew Garfield has been chosen to portray Peter Parker when Spider-Man swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.
Today’s confirmation culminates what has been one of the most eagerly anticipated casting announcements in recent memory. Bloggers, pop culture speculators, and everyday fans have pored over and analyzed every conceivable online rumor in an attempt to discover the identity of the next actor to play Peter Parker. Garfield will immediately begin preparing for the coveted role.
The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.
On selecting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”
Commenting on the announcement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures said, “Spider-Man is a classic superhero -- a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”
Producer Avi Arad added, “I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”
Producer Laura Ziskin said, “We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc Webb’s direction. We were fortunate enough to meet with a group of fantastically talented young men. In the end, we all agreed that in addition to being an extraordinary actor, Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth, and pathos, along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen.”
The selection of Garfield was revealed at a press event in Cancun, Mexico for international journalists attending a media tour promoting upcoming films from Sony Pictures Entertainment. B-roll footage of the announcement will be available via satellite later this evening -- see uplink times coordinate information below.
Garfield is fast becoming one of the most respected and sought-after young actors working in the industry today. In a short career, spanning only five years, he has already been directed by, and starred alongside, some of the greatest names and received a BAFTA for a role that won him international praise.
Garfield most recently worked with director David Fincher on the upcoming film The Social Network. He previously starred for Spike Jonze on his robot love story I’m Here, which premiered at Sundance this year. He plays the lead male opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go, due for release later this year.
Other notable screen credits include Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus playing opposite Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and the late Heath Ledger, Robert Redford’s Lions For Lambs, where he starred alongside Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep; Revolution Films’ “Red Riding Trilogy – 1974” directed by Julian Jarrold, where he lead a stellar cast including Rebecca Hall and David Morrissey, and his unforgettable portrayal of a young ex-con in John Crowley’s “Boy A,” for which he earned the best actor BAFTA in 2008.
Garfield’s career began in theatre and in 2006 his performances in “Beautiful Thing” (Sound Space/Kit Productions), “The Overwhelming,” and “Burn / Chatroom / Citizenship” (Royal National Theatre) won him the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard awards and the Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards. Other notable theatre credits include “Romeo and Juliet” (Manchester Royal Exchange) and “Kes” (Manchester Royal Exchange), for which he received the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Manchester Evening News Awards 2004.

First published just as World War II was ending Evelyn Waugh’s weighty literary masterpiece was turned into a wildly successful British mini-series in 1981. For some strange reason however Brideshead Revisited has never been given a motion picture adaptation--until now. Although the story basically remains the same much of plot threads have been dropped or truncated and some liberty has been taken with at least one major character. Set in the pre-World War II era this romantic tale spans a couple of decades telling the saga of atheist Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and his fascination even obsession with the very regal and very catholic Marchmain family--now led by ultra-stiff matriarch Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) whose husband (Michael Gambon) is AWOL with his Italian mistress (Greta Scacchi). Centering around his “friendship” with the charming and adventurous son Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) Charles’ affections and apparent sexual confusion find new fodder with Sebastian’s beautiful sister Julia (Hayley Atwell). When the threesome take off for Venice to visit patriarch Lord Marchmain the romance between Charles and Julia takes off causing numerous complications for everyone involved. Rising star Goode so fine in Woody Allen’s Match Point meets his promise here making the ideal Charles a young man flirting with his own sexual and religious identity in the fallow period between World Wars. His charm quotient is so heavy it’s easy to see how he could attract both Sebastian and Julia equally well-played by Whishaw and Atwell. Whishaw (I'm Not There) nails the wild side of his character taking Sebastian much further into gay territory than suggested in either the book or the mini-series. Atwell’s Julia also takes a departure from previous versions particularly when she joins the guys in Venice--a plot turn solely invented for this film adaptation. It has the effect of increasing the tension sexual and otherwise between the three main characters and allows the film to fully focus on this aspect of Waugh’s original story. Atwell is a real find who fully explores the confused but captivated journey Julia must take. Sprightly two-time Oscar winner Thompson is at first glance an odd choice to play the unbending Lady Marchmain but she proves her worth giving the woman an extra dimension of humanity she doesn’t appear to have when we first meet her. Gambon is superb as the family’s dying patriarch with fine support from the still-beautiful Scacchi as his mistress. Young British director Julian Jarrold followed his feature debut the refreshing offbeat comedy Kinky Boots with last summer’s bland and boring Jane Austen period piece Becoming Jane. With the hot-blooded Brideshead adaptation he is on his game again clearly demonstrating complete control over the sprawling story and intertwined relationships that are key to Waugh’s novel. Choosing to focus on the central triangle of Sebastian Charles and Julia more fully than ever before is a wise decision and brings the audience right in to the thick of things rather than taking the many side trips of the mini-series. Of course with only two hours instead of 12 painful decisions had to be made and Jarrold with screenwriters Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock have delivered a version that meets our expectations without dashing them. Unless of course you are a Waugh purist in which case it’s probably best to revisit the mini-series. There can be no argument about the visual splendors provided here though particularly the location filming at Castle Howard one of England’s oldest and most striking estates. Waugh’s extensive descriptions of the splendors of Brideshead Manor are perfectly realized through the spot-on choice of locales and the film’s superb cinematography and production design.

See Jane dance and flirt. See Jane exchange witty repartee. See Jane fall deeply in love with the wrong boy. But mostly see Jane become the beloved Victorian romantic author we’ve come to know. In a “what if” scenario Becoming Jane combines bits and pieces of the real Austen’s life gathered from letters she wrote to her sister with a somewhat fictitious account of her life as a 20-year-old emerging as a writer thinking way ahead of her time and dreaming of doing what was then nearly unthinkable--marrying for love. The young Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) meets her match in Londoner Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy). Despite her parents’ urgings to marry someone who could assure her future social standing—and Jane’s initial disregard for the roguish and decidedly non-aristocratic Tom—the two soon fall head over heels for each other. Their romance bucks all the sense and sensibility of the age but reality hits hard when it’s clear they will risk everything that matters--family friends and fortune--if they marry. According to Becoming Jane Jane’s love dilemma and inevitable heartbreak (the real Austen died a spinster) is what inspires her to write her tomes. A self-proclaimed Jane Austen enthusiast herself Hathaway fits right in as the budding author perfecting the British accent and Victorian look. The actress’ own free-spirited nature and spunkiness seen in her films The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada seep right through in Becoming Jane. The girl just can’t help herself. Some ardent Austen scholars--who believe the real Austen was much more subdued in her demeanor--may scoff at how Hathaway plays Jane much like the author's most famous heroine Pride &amp; Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet but it works for the movie. Matching Hathaway every step of the way is McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) as the young suitor Tom Lefroy. His devil-may-care attitude draws Jane in as the two would-be lovers spar like champs. But once he falls hard for Jane McAvoy breaks your heart. He too would have made a dashing Mr. Darcy. Becoming Jane’s supporting players also keep up especially consummate actors Julie Walters and James Cromwell as Jane’s parents. They play the elder Austens with much affection. But despite the fact that they married for love Walters’ Mrs. Austen doesn’t want the same life for her daughter. “I don’t want you to pick potatoes like me!” she exclaims. Women of that age had little choice. With the countless adaptations of her work—including the most recent Pride &amp; Prejudice starring Keira Knightley—Jane Austen has proven to be gold for movie and television studios alike. A biopic on the author herself was unavoidable. Even though Austen remained unmarried her whole life many believed she must have experienced some kind of love to be able to write as she did. Becoming Jane’s screenwriters Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams therefore use their imagination incorporating what little was known of Austen’s young adulthood and creating an Austenite world with Jane as its romantic star. Much like Finding Neverland it’s great fun recognizing characters and situations that may have inspired Austen’s novels. Adding to the mix is British director Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots) who frames the English countryside with a loving eye and captures the late 18th century/early 19th century period just as well as any Merchant-Ivory film could have. The only thing Becoming Jane lacks is a wonderfully weepy happy ending in which the dashing gentleman strides across a field to proclaim his love for the heroine. But Jane says it herself in the film: Even if she can’t have love and fulfillment by God she’ll make sure all of her novels’ heroines have theirs.

“A heel should be about SEX!” yells Lola played with electrifying force by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Based on a true story Kinky Boots takes a look at an old-school shoe factory in the quiet burgh of Northampton England. Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) inherits the place when his father passes away--but the factory in financial straits. It is simply outdated. So on the advice of one of his employees Lauren (Sarah-Jane Potts) Charlie decides to think out of the box so to speak and finds a niche market selling over-the-top but sturdy footwear to transvestites and drag queens. But he needs vision since most of the factory’s workers are used to making men’s loafers. That’s where Lola one of London’s premier drag queens comes in. She has all the flair and design ideas Charlie is looking for--but bringing her to conservative Northampton proves to be a bit tricky. That is until everyone gets to know Lola. Ejiofor is definitely an actor to watch out for. Since making an indelible impression in Stephen Frears’ gritty drama Dirty Pretty Things the British-born actor has been quietly stealing scenes in almost every movie he is in--from playing a deliciously evil drug lord in Four Brothers to Denzel Washington’s sparring partner in Inside Man. But in Kinky Boots Ejiofor doesn’t have to steal any scenes; he IS the movie as the tough but kindhearted Lola. The rest of the cast does a very nice job don’t get me wrong. Edgerton (King Arthur) is particularly endearing as the son desperately trying to keep his dad’s dreams alive while Potts (Wonderland) with her pixie face plays Charlie’s sweet love interest. But it’s all Ejiofor--strutting around in one outlandish musical number after another all while helping Charlie save the factory. A tour de force. A movie about shoes. What could be more fun? Actually Kinky Boots follows some standard fairly foolproof plot devices. There’s the son taking over the family business even though he has no interest in it but finds the joy of making shoes after all. Then there’s the drag queen who is just so fan-tabulous on the stage just OWNS the world but of course harbors deep pain over a father who never understood her and can’t find the right man to save her life. These kind of Boots have walked before. But with a quirky script from writers Geoff Deane and Tim Firth and an easy-going style from TV director Julian Jarrold the film further highlights that certain British wry sensibility that makes most comedies from across the pond so very appealing.